The Unfathomable Roads of Fate
by Arwen Eledel
Summary: Everything happens for a reason. Or, a love story that was born in two short weeks and lasted for seven decades. (Modern!Hicstrid one-shot)


**A/N:** A tribute to my OTP, my favourite singer Ed Sheeran and his album Divide, which came out exactly a year ago.  
Featuring a bucketload of characters from other movies because I needed to populate my story's world and I'm not overly fond of OCs.

 **Disclaimer:** I own neither the characters, nor any of the referenced songs, stories, etc. I only own the plot.  
 **Inspirations:** the entire Divide album; each part corresponds to one of the songs (in bold). Also shout out to all the amazing authors who've influenced my writing style, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Reviews and constructive criticism are higly appreciated; if you find any spelling or factual mistakes, please let me know. Besides all this, enjoy!

* * *

 **The Unfathomable Roads of Fate**

Looking back on her life so far, Astrid felt she might need an **Eraser**.

She came from a small, small town and wanted to become big; two things that don't often mix well – unless you're Astrid Hofferson, that is. For she quickly, oh-so-quickly gave up the softer part of her nature – the part that loved baking even if her meals always tasted horribly, the part that rode wildly her horse and used to sing in a choir – and focused on succeeding, succeeding at any and all costs. She was the kind of person that laughed in the face of temptation and felt most determined when the world seemed against her; she climbed the ladder of success in bounds and leaps and, at the frail age of twenty-eight, was renowned for her achievements. It was a well-deserved renown too – Astrid distinguished herself as a brilliant entrepreneur from early on and had the uncanny ability to take risks that always paid off. Anyone could look at her and confirm that she was at the peak of her career…

But that picture-perfect life had turned out to be less of a work of art than she'd imagined it. Every day she tackled the impossible – show her a locked door and she'd take its key out of her purse, using it to make something marvellous – but the locked doors seemed to multiply by the day and she was running out of keys. Despite always being brutally honest, she managed to get herself in a web of white lies and favours knitted by others; her friends envied her more than they enjoyed being in her company and, honestly, she was probably delusional to think them real friends in the first place. Her very heart was slowly hardening; when she looked at herself in the mirror she didn't know who was staring back.

The thing was, the industry had trapped her and didn't seem to be letting her go anytime soon. Her pay check was good but she was nowhere near happy; she hadn't had a long-term relationship since that guy in college and she knew, _she knew_ – when the time came for her to have her own family, she didn't want it to be with a life like this.

So one night, in the midst of contemplating her life choices, Astrid suddenly realised what her way out was. She usually turned down offers for comforting hands (even on rainy days) but back in her small, small town she had family and friends who'd made her happy back then; there she could start anew. She smiled – she'd been away, but she'd always be welcome home, she knew as much.

When on the next morning she woke up to an email about a class reunion, she was confident going back was fate. So she took a holiday, packed her bags and drove off to her hometown, and the second she left the big city she started breathing easier.

* * *

Hiccup was speeding down the road on his motorbike, his heart giddily anticipating the tell-tale sight of the **Castle on the Hill**.

He hadn't seen it for so long that he knew he'd grown – both physically and mentally. His job at the National Geographic magazine – albeit prestigious and very enjoyable – didn't allow for very many vacations. He'd learned to live around that, though – he videochatted with his parents a lot and tried to make it to as much family holidays as he could; he made the most of every meeting with his friends, invited them with him when he was sent to an especially interesting place and kept them in his heart at all times.

He smiled at the thought. They were an odd bunch, his friends, but he loved them a lot – and why wouldn't he? They were the family he'd chosen; in a way, they had raised him – they had all raised each other. Hiccup's grin got wider – he just couldn't wait to go home.

He vividly remembered many of the things he'd done with them. One of the oldest (and perhaps most beloved) memories was from when he was six. They'd been playing tag around the old castle that overlooked the town, their yells bouncing off the stone walls. His cousin had been chasing him when Hiccup's leg caught in some roots and he tumbled down the slope with a shriek and a stream of giggles, finally stopping with his nose in a tuft of grass. He'd breathed in the fresh smell and laughed, and he'd kept on laughing even though his leg had been bent at an odd angle. Tooth had cried, Jack had yelled, Fishlegs had worried and he'd worn a cast for what had felt like years but he'd loved that day, still did.

Oh, how he missed them, all of them! His oldest friends had a special place in his heart, for it was with them that he'd truly lived for the first time. Together they'd celebrated his sixteenth birthday – with cheap beer they stole from their parents' cupboards, with cake smeared over their faces, with fireworks that were just this side of legal, with running through snowy fields and tackling each other to the muddy ground, with laughing, laughing, laughing… Together they'd tried smoking and drinking, and had thrown up, and had mocked each other afterwards. Together they threw the hugest party when three of them – Jack, Guy and him – got their first weekend jobs on the same day, then promptly wasted the boys' first wages over something ridiculous he didn't remember. Together they spent rainy days in the tree house Tuff's father had built, they talked and played games and shared stories and dreams. (It was there that Jack dared Hiccup to kiss Heather, since neither had had their first kiss yet; they did it but laughed so much their lips hardly touched.) Together they saw the rises and falls of friendships, together they loved, together they hurt…

He ached to be with them all again. The end of high school had separated them, even if it hadn't put an end to their bond. Jack had come with him to the same college and there they'd met the two girls who became their sisters in everything but blood, and yet… the others had all gone their own paths. Tooth had studied design abroad and abroad she'd remained; Fishlegs worked down by the coast and rarely had time to visit – or be visited. Tuff… Tuff had two kids and an unfortunate divorce that left him living all alone. Snotlout was married, divorced and, as of two months, married again. Heather's madman of a brother had overdosed; Guy seemed to have drawn the short stick in life and was barely getting by. Hiccup himself didn't see Jack – his own roommate – that often anymore because of their work schedules. But despite all this they remained family – they had all raised each other, hadn't they?

And now, with a class reunion calling them home, he was all too ready to meet them again.

* * *

By the end of the evening Astrid felt as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff, soon to jump off; Hiccup was already in deep – he'd taken his **Dive** well over twenty years before.

The class reunion was full of laughter, dancing and shared stories, and it felt a lot like highschool had. There were differences though, noticeable ones: the twins had fought like a cat and a dog back in the day, but now Ruff rarely left her brother's side; Fishlegs had gained confidence and Guy had lost his; Jack had matured; Heather was somehow quieter, Eret had forewent his boisterous arrogance; Snotlout had settled down; Tooth had an air of professionalism to her and Hiccup looked at peace with himself; there was gloom behind Astrid's bright blue eyes. Glasses were raised in toasts and cliques were forgotten as the classmates that had graduated ten years earlier reunited like dearly missed family members, and over the gloriously filled table two of them truly saw each other.

Astrid could hardly believe that this happy, confident young man across from her was the awkward, sarcastic and self-deprecating Hiccup she'd seen every day for more than four years. Now that she thought about it, he'd only been like that in the judgemental environment of the school halls – she'd often spotted him running around town with his friends, old Mildew chasing after them and yelling about something or the other; she'd caught a sight of him sitting atop the castle wall, way up high and laughing whole-heartedly at whatever Jack had been saying; she'd glimpsed him wandering alone in the woods, the most peaceful smile residing on his features… She suddenly wished they'd been friends. Why hadn't they? Had she appeared too cold, too aggressive?

Hiccup figured you don't ever forget your first love anyway, but he found out he'd never actually gotten over Astrid. It surprised him – how could he have fallen in love if he'd never even known her? For it was indeed love, it was a little bit obvious now – he felt foolish he'd ever thought otherwise. And he also felt sad – those heavy shadows behind her eyes, that stress in her confidently squared shoulders, that subtle grief in her prosperity, could he have prevented them, had he been braver? Had he perhaps waited too long?

Astrid was now seriously rethinking everything she'd done in their last years of school. She had played her cards all wrong, apparently, and she regretted it. She looked at him across the table, wishing to apologise aloud; they probably would've been great friends.

Hiccup was falling in love all over again, harder than rocks on a lake. He was, in a word, hopeless.

He was a mystery, she mused to herself.

He'd travelled the world and he was willing to bet there wasn't a girl that compared to her.

She wondered what his story was.

He wondered if she led people on, even a little bit, even without meaning to. Tonight he wouldn't be able to fall asleep, he just knew it.

She was sure she wouldn't rest that night. She'd lay awake, thinking back to each and every mess she'd made.

He wouldn't make a move. Despite the shadows in her eyes, despite his feelings, despite everything. He simply wanted to know the truth – what she wanted (if she even did).

She wanted to fix what she'd messed up. So she took a sip of her drink for courage and took the risk – she called over the table:

"Hey!"

* * *

Through the years between his graduation and the reunion Hiccup often returned to what he liked to call the **Shape of You** dilemma. (Needless to say, Jack knew all about it – the ridiculous name alone was a source of relentless teasing.)

The thing was, Hiccup liked Astrid, had since his very first glimpse of her all those years ago. He'd borderline worshipped the ground under her feet, and carried on doing so after graduation – even if they'd hardly interacted. And that's where the root of his dilemma was.

Once he'd moved away to another city for college he'd realised how… _shallow_ his supposed love was. As he wandered around the campus one of the first days, idly watching the people around him, he found himself comparing the girls he saw to her. However, overhearing them talking about their lives made him wonder – what did _he_ know about Astrid's? And the shattering realisation was _nearly nothing_. It hit him like a ton of bricks – he'd been such a fool, he hadn't even known her! So what did he do about it? Grabbed his best friend and drowned his woes in the nearest bar. No bad decisions were made that night, at least no worse than drinking, but it had been a turning point for Hiccup. He abandoned the idea of being faithful to something he'd never had, hoping it'd make his life – his love life, at the very least – easier.

He hadn't accounted for fate. As time went by, as he tried dating others, more and more things about Astrid surfaced in his mind.

In a record shop he remembered what her favourite band was.  
Going through his Instagram he remembered almost getting run over by her and her horse; he remembered her laughter.  
When he came home for Christmas and she did not, and he and his family went carolling, he remembered hearing her say she'd been in a choir.  
In a club he remembered how she'd punched someone over a snide comment about Heather.  
In class he remembered how she bit the end of her pencil right before raising her hand to answer.  
In his and Jack's kitchen he remembered how when he passed by her house it always smelt of burnt food and how, despite that, he always heard her singing above the stove.  
In a café he remembered constantly running into her in the dodgy all-you-can-eat restaurant back home.

He remembered all of this and more and, frankly, it scared him a little bit. He hadn't only been in love with her body like he'd thought; his heart had started falling too.

This is why he revisited his dilemma every once in a while. Out of all the girls he'd dated none compared to what he remembered of Astrid. And a part of him screamed to give up, that it was all fantasies, but another part urged him to hold on, and try and win her when he got the chance; and with the two being in stalemate, Hiccup could do little but leave the matter. And so he did – he focused on college and fun times and work and friends and career and dreams and succeeded in those. And yet some nights he dreamt of talking with her for hours and hours, and a tiny voice deep inside him pleaded "C'mon, be mine!". But those became rarer and less vivid as time went by; Hiccup thought the dilemma had finally found its natural solution.

* * *

(Little did he know that years later they'd lead the proverbial **Perfect** life together.

That they'd have walls and walls of happy memories, frozen in frames of fine wood and preserved forever.

That he'd urge her over and over to learn to play the guitar and, finally, she would.

That she'd fuss over her looks when going out and he'd laugh, and murmur that she looked perfect, and she'd punch his arm with the brightest smile.

That in her he'd have a best friend, a pillar of strength and security. That in him she'd have a best friend, a keeper of secrets and a fixer-upper.

That they'd share kisses even while brushing their teeth, toothpaste still smeared on their lips.

That one day they'd be arranging a nursery room together, unable to stop smiling.

That they'd leave books and notes and sketches all over their house, but never get angry at each other.

That they'd have a movie night twice a week and share all their favourite movies, and fight over popcorn.

That they'd dance out in the garden, barefoot under the stars, and climb on the roof to see the moon set over the castle on Raven's Point Hill.

That they'd be each other's.)

* * *

Astrid entered the not-so-dodgy-anymore all-you-can-eat restaurant she'd loved and greeted the owner – a kindly old woman who'd been a just as kind **Galway Girl** back in her day (hence the name of the place).

It was quite fitting for a scene of her and Hiccup's lunch _(date?)_ – after all, they'd constantly bumped into each other here during their school years, why not finally get to know each other in the place that had given them a million and one chances for it?

The bell over the door _ding!_ ed, Hiccup entered and she suddenly knew that the million-and-second time was the charm. He sat across from her with a smile and a greeting and it should've been awkward, but it somehow wasn't – life had changed them both. A wave of nostalgia washed over them as they talked of school days when they hadn't been brave enough to make friends and of all the things they should've done together (for somehow they were both passionate about animals and friends and travels and music and crazy adventures and risk-taking). Regret turned to laughter and Astrid had to pat Hiccup's back repeatedly to help him not choke to death; ten minutes later he had to return the favour. They facepalmed over never actually realising Heather was a close friend to both of them (despite her having given them more than enough proof) and giddily recounted how similar the twins had been in voice and mannerisms even back when they couldn't stand each other. He admitted he was glad Ruff was looking after her brother, for Tuff could've done something stupid in his despair; after fifteen minutes' worth of tales of them Astrid felt she understood the two girls Hiccup called his sisters like she'd known them her whole life. They spoke and spoke, and more common things sprang up, and all too soon it was nearing eight and golden evening was falling.

"Wanna head out for a drink?" Hiccup asked.

She did. They paid their bills and took off towards Snotlout's bar, their conversation never stopping – he gestured animatedly with his hands, and she mocked him, and he rolled his eyes and they laughed… At one point his shirt's sleeve rode up and she caught the sight of ink on his skin.

"Whoa, you have a tattoo?"

"Er, yeah, I do – here." And he rolled up the sleeve so she could see properly.

Astrid knitted her eyebrows. "Gaelic? What does it say?"

"It says 'four' but I'm- how did you know it was Gaelic?"

She shrugged. "I studied in Ireland for one term, learned a tiny bit of Irish… Four, you said? I knew it looked familiar! Dunno why I don't remember it like that, though."

Hiccup laughed. "Well that's cause you've learned _Irish_. My ink's in Scottish Gaelic, 's the one Mer speaks at home."

"Mer, your 'sister' from college?"

"Yeah. 'Four' actually stands for us – her, me, Jack and Punz. We all have matching ones."

And suddenly she did recall seeing Jack's tattoo at the reunion, the letters of the word looped around the full moon on his bicep. "That's… that's _amazing_."

And his smile was wide and the most gorgeous one she'd seen yet. "It is, isn't it? Anyway, Ireland – do tell!"

She laughed, shaking her head, and launched into the story; by the time either of them cared to look at where they were they'd passed the bar by a couple of blocks.

Once inside, they greeted warmly Snotlout and spent ten minutes distracting him from his actual job, much to his exasperation; but as more people entered the two left him to his duties and got themselves some drinks, and the two glasses stayed untouched for a long time as Hiccup fell deeper and deeper in Astrid's eyes and she was just starting to notice the fierce intensity in his. (She was a tiny bit scared of that intensity; she needed something to fix her right away.)

"Let's play darts," she suddenly said, then didn't wait for an answer and dragged him to the board. "Bet I can beat you."

He laughed incredulously. "You _do_ know I'm a photojournalist, right? Because this isn't a bet you're going to win."

"Oh, please, you can shoot a _photo_ -"

" _And_ an arrow."

She deadpanned him and he raised his eyebrows challengingly. A grin formed on her lips. "Oh, it's _on_!"

Neither won, for all darts hit the perfect centre; they extended the bet to a game of pool but somehow even that ended in a draw. They continued bickering over who was more accurate and many who didn't know them mistook them for a married couple; the two were drunk on laughter long before they'd even touched their drinks.

"Let's dance!" Astrid yelled over the music and he had no choice but to agree. They danced and twirled each other around and stepped on toes and pushed each other; she managed to match the steps of an Irish dance to a random song and tried to teach him, and failed spectacularly. They roped Snotlout into playing them some trad music and Astrid grabbed Hiccup by the hand and danced, dragging him around with her, and he was laughing so hard he couldn't even hear the song. She looked at him and smiled, his mirth warming up her heart, and she had to suppress the urge to kiss him like there was nobody else in the room.

As last orders were called Hiccup finally convinced her to sing him something. She started in a pause between two songs and sang quietly at first, for him only, but the applause that came from the next table encouraged her and five minutes later the last few people in the bar were cheering her on and clapping along while Snotlout was unplugging the stereo, cheerfully humming to himself.

When Hiccup and Astrid finally left the bar (last of everyone), few to no people were still outside; stars and streetlamps lit up the quiet streets. The two wandered aimlessly in the night, alternating between looking up at the stars and staring at the other, and talked, and poked each other; every once in a while random bursts of laughter echoed in the quiet air and woke up a sleeping dog. Somehow his hand was holding hers and hers was holding his, and their feet walked in step as they entered the park.

"… really?"

" _Really_ really." Astrid laughed. "C'mon, you knew she was from Galway!"

"Yes, but- _a band_? How did you even _learn_ that?"

"I told you, we talked a lot whenever I blew up yet another meal and came to get some food."

"No wonder you know her so well then," Hiccup quipped, then laughed when she pushed at his shoulder. They leaned on the railing of the old stone bridge under which quietly splashed the waters of a thin stream. "How different's the sky late at night."

"Hm," she agreed, lost in the sea of blinking starlight. When she finally looked down she laughed incredulously. "Why do you always do this?"

"What?"

"This!" And she gestured to where he was sitting cross-legged on the stone railing. "You always sit perched somewhere – on the edge of your seat, on a table, on a _railing_ … When we were younger I've seen you sitting on tree branches and roofs, atop walls!"

"Do I? Must've picked that up from Jack, he does it all the time. Man, and I used to really nag him for it too!" He relished in the sound of her laughter. "It's getting late, I should probably walk you home."

"Probably," she agreed.

But a long time passed before they moved from the quiet park.

* * *

There had been a time, all the way back in college, when Astrid had thought she'd never be **Happier**. A few months after that they'd broken up.

Why hadn't it worked out? She didn't know; they probably weren't meant for each other, Fate had probably wanted them with someone else.

And oh, how curious, only a month they'd been apart and there he was, entering a bar with another girl on his arm. They were laughing, and his smile was so much more vibrant than when he'd been with Astrid.

Why hadn't it worked out? They'd been good for each other, they'd been great friends – they _still were_ great friends…

But Astrid was still in love with him.  
But he was happier with another.

Ruff had knocked some sense into her over the phone; she'd said that one day Astrid would be happier as well, and she'd be able to be his friend without feeling bitter.

There had been a time when Astrid had believed she'd never be happier with someone else than she'd been with him.

Now, coming home from her lunch _(date?)_ /night out with Hiccup, she felt like laughing at how pessimistic she had been. How unfathomable the roads of Fate were, she thought to herself as she found a wedding invitation in her mail and felt genuinely happy for her first love.

* * *

Hiccup got home a **New Man** – gone were the heavy shadows behind Astrid's eyes and the stress in her shoulders; that night they'd been exchanged for laughing fits, giddy energy and peaceful smiles. When he'd accomplished that, what could possibly bring him down?

 _Once for old times' sake?_

He squinted perplexed at the sender's name – one of the girls he'd dated in college? It hadn't lasted more than two months – they'd had little in common aside from their studious nature. They'd remained (sort of) friends and sometimes (extremely rarely) chatted, but he had in no way merited _that_ sort of attention.

 _? You're still with Brian._

She didn't answer but the green dot beside her name gave her away.

Hiccup huffed. He'd known it would end like this, he'd known from the very first picture of them he'd seen. She had changed a lot in that relationship, and not only because of Brian.

 _I know he's kind of an idiot, but he doesn't deserve this. And neither do you._

The three dots appeared for a bit, but she ended up not sending anything.

And yeah, Brian may have been the boisterous and a bit ignorant rich guy, but he'd grown up like this – it was the only lifestyle he knew of; plus he didn't gloat about his luck in life – he was simply a nice, happily oblivious man. That's why Hiccup knew it wasn't him who'd wanted her to change so much.

For she had changed. Before she used to spend hours on end with her nose stuck in a book, the sounds of piano and rain blaring from her headphones; she used to have a snack on her at all times, used to laugh at inappropriate jokes… Now those hours went into training and she obsessed over superfoods and reality shows, and it would've been perfectly fine – but she didn't laugh anymore, only smiled thinly. And her social media was full of photos of Brian and her, and yet on his rare nights out Hiccup had seen her kissing random boys in random bars.

 _Be honest with me. Are you happy?_

He only had to wait a second before the answer came.

 _No_

He'd known it.

 _Why do you pretend?_

 _?_

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

 _I haven't been living under a rock, you know._

It was a good two minutes before she replied.

 _So what if I do? Maybe I like that persona, maybe it's who I want to be, who I can't become! Maybe I just want to fit into his world a bit better!_

He shook his head. She wanted to be loved but it was a wrong path she was taking. (He was in no way an expert on the matter, but he knew _that_ much.)

 _Look, you have two options. One, dig deeper. Get to know Brian better and you'll see you don't need the mask. Two, leave him and leave the mask. Life's too short to spend it being unhappy._

Her answer took a while.

 _How are you so mature?_

Hiccup laughed.

 _Go to sleep, Lois Lane._

 _Night, not-Superman. Maybe some time I'll text you and we'll talk about you for a change._

He doubted it, but didn't say so.

* * *

Perhaps it wasn't coincidence that both their moms liked to say that **Hearts Don't Break Around Here** ; after all, Coincidence often flirts with Fate.

Over the course of two weeks Hiccup and Astrid spent more time together than they had in two years back in high school; in two weeks they knew each other more than they could've, had they spent twenty years together. Gone were her worries, gone were his doubts – the two were glowing, and if they were with each other they glowed the brighter.

And somehow this affected everyone around them too – it was as if the sun had finally risen over a town where it snows nine months of the year and hails the other three, as if the long-awaited spring had come at last. Old couples looked at each other like love-sick teenagers, highschoolers stared at their other halves with promises in their hearts; Tuff had his sons over and old Mildew let them play in his garden. Grown-up sons and daughters returned to their parents with tears to brush off and stories to share; dinners were had in candlelit gardens, music flowed from windows and park benches, movies were projected on crisp white bedsheets under the stars; no other summer had seen as many fireflies.

Hiccup and Astrid didn't think they were the reason for the golden summertime – didn't think they were considered it, nor did they truly see it, for the world is always golden in the eyes of those who are in love. Hand in hand they wandered around the town and the fields, the forests and the hills, walked in on dinners and impromptu parties and were welcomed, sat quietly on tree branches or pushed each other in the lake on the other side of the Raven's Point Hill. All the while the two talked and laughed and drank in the sight of each other, and their hearts filled more and more – until they finally overflowed, on a sunlit day on the grass in front of the Castle.

It was a picnic – Hiccup had cooked and Astrid had brought the drinks and the blanket. It was a tickle fight and laughing faces, smeared with homemade cupcake frosting, and a ring of daisies she nestled in his messy hair; it was the light in her eyes and the warmth in his chuckles. He'd disappeared between the stone walls and returned ten minutes after that, a ring of rose-like flowers in his hands.

"You idiot," she'd exclaimed, "briars? But your hands are all scratched!"

"Worth it," he'd grinned, crowning her with the thorn-less ring, and she'd had no wish to punch him, quite the opposite. She'd picked up some plantain leaves to treat his scratches and he'd swatted at her hands just like a cat.

"Would you stay _still_?" she'd laughed helplessly, abandoning the sternness, and he'd conceded. She had carefully wrapped the leaves around the hurt places and had tied them up with blades of grass, and he'd watched the tenderness on her face and three words had rung in his head, clear like silver bells and true like the essence of the world.

"There. You're like the Woodland King now," Astrid had grinned at him.

"Then that makes you the Queen," he'd smiled.

It was shared stories of the past and shared plans of the future, and sitting atop the warm castle wall as the sun was setting. It was a bottle of elderberry juice and Stoick's fancy crystal glasses, and a toast – "To good life, Hazel Grace!" ("Oh, shut up with your movie references!") It was lying on the blanket and watching the sky change and it was a game he'd come up with.

"It's called 'I dream of', we used to play it all the time."

"Well, how do you play then?" she'd laughed.

"You speak your dreams aloud, send them into the world."

"And does it work?"

He'd looked at her and smiled. "It does. 'S weird, but it does."

She'd grinned and looked up, and the sky had been a hypnotising hue of purple. "I dream of a life like this, like these two weeks."

He'd smiled. "Don't we all. I dream of a box of pencils that has all the colours of the sunset."

"Pencils?" she'd repeated with a giggle.

"Yes! Haven't you smelt good-quality ones? It's intoxicating!"

She'd laughed harder then. "You feel the need to tell the world you dream of pencils?"

"Of course I do, they're as important as, say, dreaming of being a famous photographer – both would make me, and hopefully others, happy." He'd sighed. "It's such a wonderful world, how do we even dare be unhappy?"

She'd looked at him and wondered if he wasn't human, but something more – he seemed so at peace with himself. "Okay then. I dream of a warm cup of tea and a biscuit."

" _That_ can be arranged!" And out of his backpack had come a thermos of steaming mint tea and a packet of cocoa biscuits. Astrid had laughed, and he'd fallen just that bit deeper into her eyes.

"I dream," they'd continued, nursing warm cups, their legs covered with a blanket, and the night breeze had lit up star after star. She'd admitted how she wanted to run a horse base; he'd encouraged her and they'd made plans for it for half an hour, and in the end she had honestly felt she could do it. She'd told him as much and he'd laughed, and had said that she'd be great.

Now they were lying on the blanket, covered with a second one; Hiccup's hand was his pillow and his shoulder was hers.

"Have you ever felt lost?" Astrid asked.

"Of course." She somehow couldn't believe it, he seemed so at piece with himself – but maybe all humans could reach that state. "Have you?"

"Hm?"

"Felt lost?"

"Mhm. But it turned out alright, despite how pessimistic I'd been."

He chuckled. "Yeah, it usually works like that. Fate is a kind being."

They fell quiet and watched the sky above them, content to just relish in each other's presence. She snuggled closer to him and listened to the hum in his chest as for every shooting star he saw he wished aloud for something for one of his friends. And time seemed to freeze in that one perfect moment, and Astrid spoke what her heart had known all along.

"We're in love, aren't we?"

Hiccup turned to look at her with the most beautiful smile and stargazed in her eyes. And neither moved first, for the world seemed to have switched its place and rearranged itself only to have them kiss. And they stayed like that for a long time, speaking without words, speaking with lips and eyes and hearts; fingers wrapped in grass moved through golden locks and briar flowers, and fingers carded through auburn hair and touched the wilting daisies.

She was his spark, the one who made everything vibrant.

He was her lighthouse, the one who always knew the way.

She was the Lady of his heart, the one he'd given it to, the only one who'd brought it back whole.

He was the Lord of her heart, the one who'd brought it back to life.

And maybe it was fast and not thought-out, this thing they had; but Fate said 'no' – for Fate had picked them for each other from the very start.

Oh, how unfathomable the roads of Fate were, the stars thought as they watched over the one being that was divided in the bodies of two humans.

* * *

"You know, I thought people were supposed to be like 'Oh no, the coffeemaker broke _again_! Curses!", but **What Do I know**?"

Hiccup looked up at her with a laugh. "What do you mean?"

"This, of course! You're fixing your mom's _prehistoric_ coffeemaker for the twelfth time in the three weeks we've been here and you aren't complaining even one bit!"

"Well what can I say, I've always looked on the positive side of things." And he winked at her, cheesily and drawn-out, and she snorted with laughter.

"Always, huh?"

"Not _literally_ always, obviously, but mostly. Can you pass me the- yeah, thanks." He unscrewed a part of the machine and looked into it. "I mean, everyone's had those one or two depressed years in their puberty, yeah? And there's always bad days and arguments and traffic jams and you can't help but get annoyed, but for the most part I try and be positive. Makes life easier, you know?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I do."

He flashed her a grin and resumed his work. "Obviously this wasn't always the case, you can't be a sun at all times… My dad and me, for example, we used to argue so much in my teens, for everything – but mostly how I didn't want to be like him. Thank God mom was there to defuse the tension, I think it could've gotten ugly with how stubborn we are… But look at how the tables have turned – now he's vehemently warning me not to go into politics." Hiccup puffed out his chest and tried to resemble his father's accent. "Son, don't you get involved in other people's quarrels, it's a headache after headache! Problems here, problems there, the end never in sight…"

"Stop, stop!" Astrid cried, heaving with helpless laughter.

"But that's what he says!" he defended himself, laughing as well. And the more he did the less could Astrid control her own mirth, and the two were just guffawing until the whole kitchen was echoing with their laughter.

"What on earth is going on in there?" Hiccup's mother shouted from the garden.

"Sorry, mom, we ju-just got carried awa-!" He put his hands in front of his mouth and looked at Astrid wide-eyed.

"Did you- did you just _hiccup_?" she asked. He opened his mouth to answer and another hiccup escaped. "Oh my _God_!" And Astrid started laughing again, soon followed by him, and now the noise was even louder (due to the occasional hiccups that made them laugh harder).

"I'm seriously worried by now, what is happening?" Valka was standing in the doorway, her eyes shifting from her son to his girlfriend.

"Hiccup- he-" Astrid couldn't even form words. "He- he _hiccupped_!" And the two lost it completely.

Valka shook her head fondly. "Goodness," she muttered to herself and went back to the garden, a grin on her lips.

Eventually they calmed down and Astrid wiped the few tears that'd escaped her eyes. "Oh, I haven't laughed like that in a long time… Actually, no, I have – you always make me laugh." He smiled at her and she sighed. "God, I'll miss that when I go back to work. My holiday's almost over."

"No, don't be like that!" In two long strides he was by her, moving the hair out of her eyes. "Didn't we just talk about positivity? Not to mention I'll for sure be pestering you to no end."

She laughed and hugged him with one arm. "Wouldn't have it any other way. But how can I- It's so hard to breathe in the big city sometimes, and the work is exhausting. At first I liked the risks, the hurdles, the hustle and bustle, but now…"

Hiccup leaned his head on hers and thoughtfully said: "Do you know why I came up with 'I dream of'?" She shook her head. "So I'd know what's on my friends' minds and I could encourage them to go for it. You know I'm all for people following their dreams... My point is, it wouldn't hurt to check out the horse base thingy, would it? I was honest that night on Raven's Point Hill, you'll for sure be great at running one - what with how driven you are; and it'll make you happy. You can probably even establish one here - boost the town's popularity and all that..." She chuckled and he looked at her fondly. "I think you should go for it. Look into the requirements, maybe work one or two more years at your old place and just... do it."

She smiled and looked up at him. "How are you like that?"

He grinned. "My mother passed it down to me, the positivity. She says that we're made of love and hate in equal parts but we can choose which one to express."

"It's a great motto to live by."

"It is," he agreed with a smile and leaned down to kiss her.

Somewhere in the house a door opened and then closed. "Val? Hiccup?"

He reluctantly leaned back. "I'm in the kitchen, dad!"

"The kitchen? Perfect! Can you make me a cup of coffee?"

The two looked at the broken apart coffeemaker, then burst out laughing.

* * *

" **How Would You Feel** ," Astrid began, "if I told you how I fell in love with you?"

" _Now that's a question I haven't heard before!_ " Hiccup laughed on the other end of the line.

She rolled her eyes with a grin. She was walking home from work, a warm cup of hot chocolate in her hand, and his voice was the perfect thing to add to her evening. "Well, I have to entertain you in that God-forsaken jungle..."

" _Excuse you, I'm in literal New York right now._ "

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "What do you mean you're in New York, your plane was to leave in two days!"

" _No, I got here today._ "

"But today's Tuesday!"

He laughed. " _It's Thursday, Astrid._ "

"What?!"

" _Yeah!_ "

She facepalmed. "How did the week fly by so fast? Anyway... Hiccup, stop laughing! Do you want me to tell you or not?"

" _Okay, okay, sorry. Go on then._ " She could hear the smile in his voice; it made her feel warm.

"You are an idiot," she told him with a chuckle. "So, funny thing is, I don't think I _fell_ , per se."

" _Okay, this got interesting, what do you mean?_ "

"It's like I was standing on the edge of this abyss and one moment I was looking at it and the next I was at its bottom." Stunned silence answered her. "I know it sounds weird, but that's how it was. I think I first felt it at the reunion - remember? When I asked you out on our not-date - but I didn't think I'd find myself in there so fast! And yet as soon as you turned up in 'Galway Girl' - poof! I was transported to the bottom of the abyss. Took me a long time to figure it out, of course," she laighed, "you know when I did?"

" _On Raven's Point Hill?_ " he asked quietly.

She smiled. "On Raven's Point Hill."

" _That night's forever going to be one of my favourites,_ " he murmured on the other end of the line and Astrid imagined him sitting by a big hotel window, looking at the blinking expanse of New York. " _We watched the sunrise replace the moon, and you sang to me... Couldn't you sing me a song?_ " he suddenly asked.

She grined. "As soon as I get home."

" _How much longer? I miss your singing._ "

"Just four blocks."

" _Good..._ " He was silent for a bit. " _God, I miss you. But after New York I have this article about meerkats..._ "

She immediately lit up. "Those cute animals that live in the Kalahari Desert? Oh, they're the best, you're gonna have so much fun photographing them!"

He laughed, if a bit wetly. " _Yeah, I like them a lot. Like you more, though._ "

She smiled. "I like you the most."

Hiccup chuckled, then quietly spoke: " _How would you feel if I told you I loved you?_ "

Her features softened. "I'd feel back at Raven's Point Hill, all warm and peaceful. How would _you_ feel if _I_ told you I loved you?"

" _Like you're with me,_ " he answered quietly, then sighed. " _I really, really miss you._ "

She smiled sadly. "So do I. But our summer will come again, you know it will." She locked after herself and shrugged off her coat. "Now that I'm home, you go and jump into your bed, I know you're jet-lagged as hell. I'll call you on Skype and I'll sing you to sleep, yeah?"

" _Yeah, that sounds great_ _,_ " he murmured. Then, after a bit: " _I love you a lot._ "

And immediately: "I love you a lot too."

* * *

(In time they realised, like all people do, that, unlike **Supermarket Flowers** , love doesn't wilt or fade away.

As the years started piling on their shoulders, as they send off their parents to the afterlife, as their children left for college and their beloved pets grew old, they found out that the pain of missing someone was bittersweet, that a heart that's been broken is a heart that's loved and been loved. So they enjoyed the time they had, laughed and took photos and invited loved ones over, and Hiccup started writing words on their home's ceilings - and those words were by friends and family, and so they lived forever with them, like angels that guarded them from above.

The first ones he wrote over his and Astrid's bed, so they could see them every morning when they woke up - "A life we love is a life that's been lived." And they lived by that, and their minds weren't as troubled as they could've been.)

* * *

On the door were two signs - one read " **Barcelona** , greatest bar south of the North Pole" and the other - "Closed for a private occasion. Come again tomorrow!"

Snotlout's bar was filled to the brim with people - classmates and friends and relatives; two years had passed since the reunion and everyone had been whisked back to their lives, but not one person was missing - Hiccup and Astrid had called them all and they'd gladly come to celebrate the occasion.

"To Astrid," Hiccup raised his glass and all mimiced him, "proud owner of the 'Valkyrie' horse base! May it be a success and a source of happiness, Milady!"

"Cheers!" they yelled and knocked down their glasses.

Astrid grinned and raised her own. "To Hiccup, to his photobook's release and to all the hard work that went into it! And to many more successful projects!" Again all cheered, and drank in celebration, and refilled their glasses.

Jack was the next to raise his drink in a toast. He shot Hiccup a proud smile and said: "To the beautiful cottage which these two now own! I'll miss sharing a flat with my brother, of course, but cheers to your new home none the less!"

The silence only lasted for five seconds, then Heather burst out: "You're moving in together?!"

Hiccup and Astrid laughed. "Surprise!" he said, "We didn't get round to telling you all."

Everyone congratulated them, and drank to their house and life together, and after that the party was in full swing. The company danced and sang and yelled out conversations, and proposed toasts and gave away hugs, and strengthened ties with each other; it was a night for celebrating, a night for happiness.

A lot had changed in two years: Tuff was back on speaking terms with his ex-wife and had his sons over as often as he liked; Tooth had relocated back to the country and she and Jack had hit it off, Ruff was flirting shamelessly with Eret and Guy had found his luck again; Snotlout's wife was putting to sleep a one-year-old. But Heather was sassy as ever and the newly-come Mer and Rapunzel fit right in with their almost-literal-brothers' company; and it had been long since a party as fun and wild and big had been held in the little town.

Hiccup and Astrid were at the centre of the chaotic celebration; they drank and laughed, and hugged friends, and returned to the dance floor over and over. He spun her around and she dared him to dance-offs, and they matched Irish dances to whatever song was playing, and mimiced tango, and did the Macarena, and laughed, laughed, laughed...

And the party lasted until the morning, and the "Barcelona" bar lived up to its name.

* * *

"You know," Hiccup told Astrid, "I remember, it was in Ghana, I think, they always said this phrase - ' **Bibia Be Ye Ye** '."

"What does it mean?" she asked with a laugh.

"'Everything will be alright', I think."

"Okay... And why are you saying this to me?"

He looked at her, a laugh building up in his voice. "Because I'm trying to think positively but my head hurts, plus the bar looks like a tornado destroyed it and I'm pretty sure Snot'll have us fix it up."

She burst out laughing. "That's what the aftermath of a party looks like, you dork. Don't worry, it seems most of our friends fell asleep here, so we'll have lots of help."

"But we'll have breakfast first?"

"Of course, I'm starving!"

"Good." He got up from the table they'd slept on and suddenly snorted loudly. "Oh God, Tuff's trainers are hanging from the lamp!" And lots of their friends woke up to their guffawing.

The late morning turned to afternoon as the company sat comfortably on the ground around a tablecloth filled with take-away, and the atmosphere was nearly the same, if not as wild as the previous night. Then they tidied up the bar together and found Fishlegs' keys in an empty glass, Heather's phone - behind a wine bottle and Rapunzel's bag - under a chair. (Eret's wristwatch seemed to have been lost forever.)

At long last they bid Snotlout farewell and left the bar. Their group was big at first, as they didn't want to part and sent everyone off to their homes, but with time they lessened until it was just Hiccup and Astrid who walked in their garden and closed the green door behind them.

"Our house," Astrid sighed as she looked at the beautiful cottage, "how awesome it sounds."

Hiccup was looking at her with the widest smile. "I love you," he murmured, "I'm so in love with you I don't know what to do with myself." And he kissed her, for the first time in their garden, and gazed into her eyes for a long time after they parted.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, her fingers lost in his hair.

He didn't answer for a bit, simply smiled. At last he murmured: "We should probably get married."

"Probably," she agreed, and it seemed to her she was the happiest she'd ever been.

* * *

They got married before the end of the summer, on the green grass of Raven's Point Hill in the shadow of the Castle, and **Nancy Mulligan** , the kindly old woman who owned their favourite restaurant, prepared the feast. All their friends and family came, and Astrid wore Valka's wedding dress while Hiccup borrowed Mr. Hofferson's wedding suit.

The two thrived in the little town; Astrid's horse base exceeded every expectation they'd had and Hiccup's photobook was a best-seller in no time. The golden summer that occured when they'd fallen in love seemed to have decided to stay - happiness and prosperity entered the town and never left. And flowers and trees grew and bloomed, and decorated the streets, and smiles lit up the townspeople's faces.

Maybe Fate really had chosen Hiccup and Astrid for each other, for their life together was long and fulfilling. They raised a daughter and two sons, and countless loyal pets; the rare problems that occured they solved together, and shared both pain and joy. Their friends and family brought them happiness, even at old age, and their sunny existance was seldomly troubled. They lived together for nearly seventy years, saw many changes and welcomed new members of their family - eight grandchildren and twenty-two great-grandkids. When Death finally took them, he took them together, and the legacy they left brightened many lives.

* * *

"I never had to **Save Myself** ," Hiccup always told his kids, "your mother did it - just like I saved her."

How different could that story have been, had Hiccup and Astrid never met... How important is every little thing that happens - for he could've lived a happy, but empty life, and she could've faded into sadness and routine.

How unfathomable are the roads of Fate - and yet everything happens for a reason.

 _Fin_


End file.
